This neighborhood lemonade stand has a special purpose

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Like kids sometimes do on a sunny weekend, Erin Shear’s two oldest sons will host a neighborhood lemonade stand on Saturday and Sunday. Few such efforts have such as worthy cause, however.

Alexander, age 11, and Hunter, 6, will be making great use of the lemons from their back yard. Under the guidance of their mother, the boys will be raising money to help fund research for a rare genetic disorder that hits very close to home.

The boys’ younger brother, 4-year-old Greyson, suffers from Dup15q – a disorder first discovered in the 1970s and which affects 2,000 families registered worldwide in the Dup15q Alliance. Similar in some ways to autism, Dup15q leaves its victims at a high rise of seizures and developmental delays.

Erin Shear said Greyson is nonverbal and undergoes therapy 30 hours a week for his condition. His oldest brother, Alexander, has given presentation at school about the disorder and seeks other ways to advocate for its victims.

“We have this huge lemon tree in the back yard, and we’re always try to clear the lemons,” Erin said. “The kids keep bugging me to have a lemonade stand, so we decided why not have one to raise money for the research alliance?”

So, from noon to 4 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, the Shear family will be serving lemonade and accepting donations at 30468 Blume Circle in Menifee. Donations may also be made online through the Dup15q Alliance website here.

Erin said two other families in Menifee are affected by Dup15q, including the child of a Menifee Police Department officer, whose family will be among those supporting this weekend’s event.